WEBVTT ALREADY BEING MADE.>> THE ERA OF POLITICALPATRONAGE OF IT'S MORE IMPORTANTWHO YOU KNOW THAN WHAT YOU KNOWIS OVER.ANDREW: HE'S BEEN ON THE JOB FORA SHORT TIME, AND AFTAB PUREVALIS GETTING SETTLED IN TO HISOFFICE AT THE HAMILTON COUNTYCOURT HOUSE.HE'S WORKING TO MODERNIZESERVICES.>> WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW COUNTIESIN THE ENTIRE STATE WHERE YOUCAN'T PAY FOR A SPEEDING TICKETONLINE.IT'S UNACCEPTABLE.ANDREW: ONE OF THE THINGS THENEW CLERK IS HIS ABILITY TORECRUIT PEOPLE FROM THE BUSINESSSECTOR TO COME WORK HERE AT THEHAMILTON COUNTY COURTHOUSE INGOVERNMENT SERVICE.HE HAS ANNOUNCED THREE HIRES ACHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, CHIEFOF HUMAN RESOURCES AND A CHIEFOF I.T., ALL NEW TO PUBLICSERVICE.>> IF YOU'RE TRYING TO GET RICHYOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE GE ORLEAVE COCA-COLA AND COME INTOTHE CLERK'S OFFICE, BUT WHAT WEDO HAVE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TOCHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER FOROUR COMMUNITY.ANDREW: THE OFFICE EMPLOYS MORETHAN 200 PEOPLE AT FACILITESACROSS HAMILTON COUNTY.AS PUREVAL TRIES TO MAKECHANGES, HE SAYS HE IS ALSOTRYING TO AVOID LOSING THE DEEPKNOWLEDGE THAT KEEPS THE OFFICEOPERATING.>> INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE ISCRITICALLY IMPORTANT, AND I'M SOPROUD THAT MANY OF THE PREVIOUSLEADERSHIP HAS DECIDED TO STAYON, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN CHARGWITH CHANGING THINGS AND IT'SCRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO BRING INNEW LEADERSHIP, TO GIVE US A NEWPERSPECTIVE TO DRIVE THE CHANGESTHAT THE VOTERS SENT ME HERE TODOANDREW: PUREVAL SAYS PEOPLESHOULD START SEEING THE RESULTOF CHANGES WITH A NEW CLERK OFCOURTS WEBSITE COMING SOON.FROM THE HAMILTON COUNTY

He ran for office with campaign spots featuring a stuffed duck, but Aftab Pureval is showing he’s not playing around in the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts office.

The 34-year-old Democrat has been on the job for about six weeks and is announcing three new hires who he thinks will deliver on his campaign promise to shake things up at the courthouse.

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“The era of political patronage, of it’s more important who you know than what you know, is over,” Pureval said.

He has hired three new department chiefs. Pureval said he’s pleased to be recruiting people from the private sector to come into public service.

Rene Cheatam has been hired as chief financial officer. He has an MBA and previously worked for GE and Mercy Health. Shonda Sullivan will serve as chief of human resources. She also holds an MBA and has 10 years of experience in the private sector. Ash Agrawal was hired as chief of IT. Agrawal has a Ph.D. and previously worked for GE and Coca-Cola.

“If you’re trying to get rich, you’re not going to leave GE or leave Coca-Cola and come into the clerk’s office, but what we do have is an opportunity to change things for the better for our community,” Pureval said.

He said his priorities are to modernize services and improve customer service overall. Pureval said improvements are coming to the website and a new site will be launched soon. He also said Hamilton County is one of the only counties in Ohio that doesn’t allow drivers to pay traffic tickets online, which he is working to change.

In an office that employs more than 200 people, with facilities all over the county, he’s trying to make changes – but Pureval said he is also trying to avoid losing the deep knowledge that keeps the office operating.

“Institutional knowledge is critically important, and I’m so proud that many of the previous leadership has decided to stay on, but we’ve also been charged with changing things and it’s critically important to bring in new leadership, to give us a new perspective, to drive the changes that the voters sent me here to do,” Pureval said.